novelraw Chapter 402 - 367: Disaster Victim Count Upgraded
Chapter 402 - 367: Disaster Victim Count Upgraded
Lu Jiu TCM Hospital.
Meeting Hall.
Lu Jiu urgently convened a hospital-wide meeting.
The main doctors and nurses gathered one after another.
Once everyone was present, Lu Jiu got straight to the point.
"I’ve called everyone here for a meeting because I’ve received an urgent request for help from my teacher. Currently, Nanhe Province is experiencing a flood disaster, affecting tens of thousands of people. The disaster area seems to be expanding, and in Zhouru City where my teacher is, medical resources are scarce. Moreover, due to the disaster, many supplies can’t be delivered. So this time, we’re going to support Zhouru."
"We not only need to take sufficient medical supplies but also need personnel to go. I’m here to seek your opinions. Those willing to go can sign up now, and those who can’t leave should stay at the hospital. Although support is crucial, the hospital must also continue to operate normally. So, regardless of your choice, don’t feel any burden. Alright, let’s start signing up."
After Lu Jiu briefly outlined the situation, everyone understood the task at hand.
So, upon hearing this, no one hesitated.
All the doctors and nurses present stepped forward to write down their names on the paper. Even the management and logistics staff stood up.
After three years of the epidemic, everyone clearly understood one thing.
In the face of hardship, supporting each other is the best choice.
Before long, as they looked at the sheets full of names, Lu Jiu had to let the management select forty medical staff and twenty logistics staff to go with him based on actual needs.
Among these medical personnel, there were both veterans and newcomers.
After quickly finalizing the support list, Lu Jiu also asked them to notify their families, prepare as soon as possible, and aim to depart for Ruzhou within three days.
The reason for waiting three days is that Lu Jiu not only needed to gather medical personnel but also had to prepare acupuncture supplies, herbal medicines, as well as medicine pots and stoves for decocting herbs.
These items not only need to be transported but also waterproofed.
After all, if the flood persists, vehicles definitely can’t get through, and they would have to rely on hovercrafts. Therefore, waterproof measures must be flawless.
Evidently, these preparations cannot be completed in a short time.
"Lu Jiu, I’ll take some supplies back to Zhouru first."
As Lu Jiu was making preparations, An Xianda approached him.
"No, it’s too dangerous for you to go alone with the current situation there unclear." Lu Jiu decisively refused.
An Xianda said, "I’ve already contacted people in Zhouru. If I go first, I can pave the way for you, which will help avoid unnecessary troubles along the journey. Then, you can directly contact me, and I will arrange for someone to take you to the safer parts of Ruzhou, how about it?"
Lu Jiu frowned, "Are you really well-connected there?"
An Xianda chuckled, "Don’t underestimate Brother Da’s network. Not just in Zhouru, but across Nanhe Province, the people I know would surprise you. I’ll head off now, keep in touch."
After speaking, An Xianda turned and left.
Lu Jiu actually realized that aside from helping them connect, An Xianda left early because he couldn’t stay in Jianghan anymore.
He was worried about the teacher!
Of course, An Xianda wasn’t the only one worried about the teacher.
Zuo Quan, Lan Mei, Wang Xinda, Fu Xingfa, Zeng Mengcheng, Xu Zhong, several senior alumni were also on the list prepared by Lu Jiu.
There was no choice; if he didn’t let them go, they might scold him fiercely.
In the following two days, Lu Jiu rallied a large number of people to load prepared acupuncture equipment, herbal medicines, gauze, and all kinds of medical supplies onto large trucks.
Over three days, they loaded two large trucks with medical supplies, including two rescue hovercrafts and twenty to thirty inflatable rafts.
With these supplies, Lu Jiu and others boarded two buses, heading towards Zhouru City in Nanhe Province.
Lu Jiu TCM Hospital’s significant movement did not go unnoticed.
Within three days, news of the flood disaster in Nanhe finally appeared online.
But the affected population had already grown to over a hundred thousand, and all localities were organizing rescue efforts.
Hospitals in neighboring provinces also gradually reacted, beginning to mobilize medical forces.
...
Jingcheng Hospital, Ruzhou City, Nanhe Province.
By now, the first floor of the hospital had been submerged, and all patients and medical staff had been relocated to the second and third floors.
The hospital had no shortage of space, so many rescued individuals were placed here.
However, after three or four continuous days of treatment, the hospital began experiencing resource shortages, for instance, gauze for bandaging the patients ran out, iodine for disinfecting was depleted, and even the finely needles used for acupuncture were nearly exhausted.
During these days, the Health Commission also organized personnel to send over some medical supplies, but it was far from enough.
Moreover, besides their hospital, all hospitals in Ruzhou City were short of medical supplies.
Firstly, the speed of the floods was too rapid, and secondly, transportation was inconvenient.
A lot of medical supplies could not be gathered in a short time, and even when gathered, getting them shipped in was a bother.
"Dean, a patient’s required Atractylodes has run out, what should we do now?"
"Is there any other herbal substitute?"
"No, the situation arose so suddenly, the hospital didn’t store much medicinal herbs."
"If it doesn’t work, stop the medicine for now; use acupuncture for emergency intervention."
"What about some of the rescued patients with muscle necrosis and extensive wounds, we currently have no herbal medicines to close the wounds. If this continues, some might lose their legs."
"...Soon, very soon, our support team is on the way, just..."
Before Huang Fusheng could finish, all the lights in the hospital went out with a sudden snap.
In the next moment, a clamor arose.
The hospital was thrown into panic once more.
Evidently, the floods had caused a power outage in their area.
Until power company workers could conduct repairs, the hospital would have to operate in the dark.
Fortunately, for a Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, saving lives didn’t require medical equipment—as long as there’s a candle beside them, they could use acupuncture to help some patients.
...
"Dean Lu, we have entered the territory of Nanhe Province, only two hours away from Ruzhou City."
At the driver’s prompt, Lu Jiu finally opened his weary eyes.
After more than seven hours on the road, they had finally entered Nanhe Province.
"Alright, keep going; I’ll contact someone right away," Lu Jiu said.
Lu Jiu pulled out his phone and dialed An Xianda, "Hello, Brother Da, we have now entered Nanhe Province."
An Xianda replied, "Got it, I’ll contact the people in charge of checkpoints to let you pass. Someone will guide you towards Ruzhou City. By the way, how many inflatable rafts did you bring?"
Lu Jiu said, "Time was tight; we only prepared two hovercrafts and twenty to thirty inflatable rafts."
An Xianda was surprised, "You’ve done well, that’s almost a full rescue team’s configuration. Alright, then I won’t arrange any more for you, they really need those here. Talk later."
Soon after, An Xianda called back, saying he’d contacted the necessary people, and they could now freely enter Ruzhou City.
After the call ended, within less than ten minutes, their convoy was stopped at a certain intersection.
After confirming the identities of Lu Jiu and his team, someone guided them to unload the supplies and carry them manually forward.
Because one section of the road ahead was destroyed by a landslide, vehicles could not pass.
Lu Jiu and the others could only do their utmost to carry supplies and inflatable rafts, crossing the treacherous mountainous area to arrive at a raging torrent.
Following the guide’s instructions, they lowered the hovercrafts and inflatable rafts into the water, then climbed aboard, floating slowly towards Ruzhou City...